Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Consider the Blessings

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe in living prophets (just like Moses, Abraham, etc.), and the current prophet is President Thomas S. Monson.

Recently, Deseret Book has published a collection of stories he has told from his life called Consider the Blessings. This hardcover book is full of story after story of experiences from his life that demonstrate the love that he has for others, and the way that he has touched the lives of many.

The stories are told by him and are accompanied by beautiful photography. I thought that I would recognize a lot of the stories from listening to him speak, but I only recognized a couple of them. I found myself reading story after story after story! They are uplifting and inspiring! This is a great read, and would make a great book to set out like a coffee table book, for light reading. This would make a great Christmas gift for pretty much anyone!

I love President Monson and I love hearing the stories from his life. I have seen how genuine he is, and been touched by his actions as they affected my life personally several years ago.

Years before he was the prophet, for a time, Thomas S. Monson was the president of the Toronto, Ontario mission. (This means he came and lived in that area and was in charge of the missionaries and the missionary effort in that area).

While he was here, he got to know and serve with my grandfather. I always thought it was really special that my grandfather knew him. When I was living in Idaho, going to BYU, my grandfather died. I remember my parents telling me that President Monson called our house and left a message on the answering machine, having heard that my grandfather had died. I was impressed that someone so important, who has met so many people and served in so many capacities with so many, would remember my grandfather and take the time to make a call like that to his family.

After hearing and reading many stories from his life though, I can see that that is just the kind of person he is. If you get an opportunity to pick this book up, do it! It's a gem! :)

Disclosure: I received this book for review purposes, from Deseret Book. As always, all opinions shared here are completely my own!

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